Gotham and Gotham Girl have Batman’s respect, but do they have the chops to take over when he’s gone?

Batman #2 drums up an incoming threat that will likely test everyone’s resolve, but we don’t really know exactly what’s coming and to the detriment of the story.

Right now, all we know is that something or someones called the Monster Men are coming, and it’s driving some people crazy. Batman’s handled huge threats before, but it seems like writer Tom King is plotting something huge, though something can be said for speed of the issue’s pacing.

After someone lets Solomon Grundy loose in Gotham City, Batman comes to the rescue. The new Gotham duo, while incredibly powerful, have a lot of learning to do, and both get a taste of that trademark Bat-disapproval — enough to make them both glad they didn’t have to pay their dues as Robins in order to live in Batman’s shadow.

When Bruce goes over tape of the battle, he and Alfred Pennyworth discuss the Dark Knight’s mortality, and it’s apparent that Wayne is coming to grips with being a veteran in the superhero world. He decides to bring the Gotham duo under his wing, so to speak, because necessity demands it.

The Superman of the New 52 has passed, and the original Superman takes his place in the first issue ongoing issue of the Rebirth relaunch.

During a visit to his alternate-timeline-self’s grave, Clark Kent bids farewell and takes up the mantle of the world’s greatest superhero.

The family has moved from Salinas, California, to a farm in Hamilton County, 300 miles north of Metropolis. Taking a new surname — the Smiths — the former-Kents try to live a life as normal as possible.

Things take a turn after a thunderstorm sends a bolt of lightning which lights the barn on fire.

Jon Kent becomes the lens through which we see the story for issue #1. Before they rebuild the barn, Clark sends his son to fill the corn harvester with gas, but Jon returns from his chores without his cat Goldie. Out in the fields, a hawk captured Goldie in its talons, causing Jon to shoot it down with eyebeams.

Five years ago, the New 52 exploded onto shelves, and Batman #1 became a runaway bestseller partly because it was the first time the Batman title had a #1 since the first volume launched way back in 1940.

Every issue of the second volume then went on to sell quite well. Many of them landed somewhere in the top-ten each month on the sales charts competing well against #1s and big issues from the other publishers.

And now, as we say goodbye to the creative team of old, we are now in the thick of things with a brand new team for a brand new launch.

And — so far — it happens to be very, very good.

I wouldn’t say great. Not yet. The rebirthed Batman #1 is a solid book that’s on to something, but I’ll keep myself from jumping completely overboard until I see more of what the current team does with the title.

After Barry Allen tried to prevent his mother’s death, he created an alternate future on the verge of destroying itself. At Thomas Wayne’s behest, Flash went back in time to stop himself, and a new version of the universe was created out of the old that merged the distinct and separate DC, Vertigo, and Wildstorm entities.

Until now, Allen believed he was responsible for the New 52 universe, but a sudden appearance by pre-Flashpoint Wally West trying to escape the Speed Force turns everything on its head.

The reveal — you should read DC Universe: Rebirth #1 if you need a primer — is that someone else existing outside of time and place had a hand in creating this new timeline, bending and removing events, relationships, and key factors in order to keep the heroes weakened.

Flash: Rebirth #1 takes readers through what happened before, during, and after Wally West appeared to Barry, starting with a murder case that reminds Allen of his mother’s death — the very thing that kicked off Flashpoint.

The New 52’s Wonder Woman #1 was met with plenty of controversy when her origin story was revealed to be a lie — instead of being molded out of clay, Diana Prince was revealed to be a daughter of Zeus.

The lie was created to protect her from Hera’s wrath, which gave her all the motivation she needed to protect Zora’s unborn child who was also being hunted down by Hera.

With Rebirth in full swing, Wonder Woman thinks upon the memories now returning to her mind and considers the truth of her creation. Using the Lasso of Truth on herself, she reveals to herself that she has been deceived.

It’s unknown who or what is in control over Diana Prince at the moment, but it’s powerful enough that when she teleports to Olympus, she arrives in a familiar but strange place.

Wonder Woman: Rebirth #1 doesn’t give much away, but it’s a sneak peek at what’s to come. With famed author Greg Rucka back on the title and artist Liam Sharp providing interiors, the future of Wonder Woman looks bright even if her journey will take her to some dark places.

Rucka’s point of entry examines the essence of Wonder Woman — the character acknowledges the word wonder may have once meant awe, but things have changed.